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How to Draw a Feather (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)

To draw a feather, start with one long curved line for the quill. Draw a leaf shape around its top part and cut three notches into each side. Color the feather teal blue and the quill light brown.

Finished cartoon feather with a black outline, a teal blue vane with three notches on each side and a light brown quill
The finished feather
Steps
4 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Teal blue and light brown crayons

Updated

Teaching this to a class?

Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.

How to draw a feather step by step

  1. One long gently curved line from the bottom left to the top right, ending in a thin rounded loop at the bottom

    Step 1 of 4: Draw one long curved line from the bottom left to the top right, with a thin loop at the bottom.

  2. A long pointed leaf shape around the top part of the line, with its tip at the top end of the line

    Step 2 of 4: Add a long pointed leaf shape around the top part of the line, with its tip at the line's top end.

  3. Three pointed notches cut into each side of the leaf edge and a second quill line up to the middle of the feather

    Step 3 of 4: Draw three pointed notches per side, erasing the edge there. Run the right quill line halfway up.

  4. The feather colored with a teal blue vane on both sides of the quill and a light brown quill from the loop to the middle

    Step 4 of 4: Color the vane on both sides teal blue. Color the quill light brown, from the loop up to the middle.

Tips for little artists

  • Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.

  • Tip: Draw the quill in one slow, smooth stroke so the curve stays even.

  • Tip: Erase a small bit of the smooth edge where each notch goes, then draw the pointed V.

Make it yours

  • Rainbow feather

    Color a different stripe of color between each pair of notches.

  • Quill pen

    Draw a small ink pot under the bottom loop so the feather becomes a pen.

  • Feather bunch

    Draw three feathers that fan out from one point, each in its own color.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • It looks like a leaf

    Cut three pointed notches into each side of the edge.

  • The quill stops at the bottom of the vane

    Run the quill line all the way up to the tip of the feather.

  • All the notches are on one side

    Put three notches on the left edge and three on the right edge.

Fun facts about the feather

  • Feathers are unique to birds, and they form the outer covering of all modern birds. (Source: Britannica)

  • All feathers are made of a protein called beta keratin. (Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

  • A typical feather has a central shaft with rows of paired branches called barbs that form a flattened, usually curved surface called the vane. (Source: Britannica)

Questions grown-ups ask

How to draw a feather easy?

Draw one long curved line and a pointed leaf shape around its top part. Cut three notches into each side and color it.

How to draw a feather for kids?

Follow the 4 steps above: the quill, the leaf shape, the notches and the color. The step sheet shows all four on one page.

What is an easy way to draw feathers?

Start with the quill line, then draw the outline around it. Small pointed notches in the edge make the shape read as a feather.

If your notches came out a little uneven, that's fine. Your feather has its own shape. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 4

One long gently curved line from the bottom left to the top right, ending in a thin rounded loop at the bottom
Draw one long curved line from the bottom left to the top right, with a thin loop at the bottom.